Drying Apparatus Comprising a Filter

Abstract

A drying apparatus includes an outer case, a portion of the outer case defining a cavity in which articles can be dried, an outlet disposed at the lower end of the cavity and a filter unit arranged downstream of the outlet, wherein the filter unit includes a particulate filter and a sterilising filter. By providing this filter unit including both a particulate filter and a sterilising filter, solid matter and bacteria can be removed from the waste liquid. This results in a hygienic and sanitary waste liquid output from the filter unit.

1 . A drying apparatus comprising an outer case, a portion of the outer case defining a cavity in which articles can be dried, an outlet disposed at the lower end of the cavity and a filter unit arranged downstream of the outlet, wherein the filter unit comprises a particulate filter and a sterilising filter. 
   
   
       2 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the sterilising filter is located downstream of the particulate filter. 
   
   
       3 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the filter unit further comprises a filter inlet, a filter outlet and a sump having a maximum level of liquid. 
   
   
       4 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the sterilising filter is located in the sump. 
   
   
       5 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the sterilising filter is located below the maximum level of liquid. 
   
   
       6 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the particulate filter is located in the sump. 
   
   
       7 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the particulate filter is located below the maximum level of liquid. 
   
   
       8 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the filter outlet includes a portion which determines the maximum level of liquid. 
   
   
       9 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the filter unit further comprises a flow directing guide guiding liquid through the filter unit. 
   
   
       10 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the flow directing guide comprises a partition for guiding liquid through the filter unit. 
   
   
       11 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the partition defines a convoluted path from the filter inlet to the filter outlet. 
   
   
       12 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein a part of the partition located within the sump is arranged to guide the liquid along a U-shaped path. 
   
   
       13 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the partition is arranged to separate at least a part of the sterilising filter. 
   
   
       14 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the sterilising filter comprises a material including an anti-bacterial agent. 
   
   
       15 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the material is a resin. 
   
   
       16 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the resin comprises particles having a dimension of at least 0.1 mm. 
   
   
       17 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the resin comprises particles having a dimension no more than 2 mm. 
   
   
       18 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the anti-bacterial agent comprises a halogen-containing material or a precursor to a halogen-containing material. 
   
   
       19 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein the halogen-containing material includes a component selected from the group consisting of Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, Hypochlorite and Hypobromide. 
   
   
       20 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the resin is arranged to release the anti-bacterial agent into the liquid at a concentration of at least 1 ppm. 
   
   
       21 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the resin is arranged to release the anti-bacterial agent into the liquid at a concentration no greater than 5 ppm. 
   
   
       22 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the particulate filter comprises a layer of beads. 
   
   
       23 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 22 , wherein the diameter of the beads is at least 1 mm. 
   
   
       24 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein the diameter of the beads is no more than 6 mm. 
   
   
       25 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the filter unit forms part of a liquid treatment module which is removable from the drying apparatus. 
   
   
       26 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 25 , wherein the liquid treatment module further comprises a liquid dispersal unit including a collector located downstream of the filter unit and an evaporation unit in communication with the collector for evaporating liquid collected therein. 
   
   
       27 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 26 , wherein the evaporation unit is a high frequency agitator. 
   
   
       28 . The drying apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the drying apparatus is a hand dryer and the cavity is dimensioned to receive a user's hands. 
   
   
       29 . (canceled)